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| The Choctawhatchee Bay is a valuable natural resource that should be protected and preserved through environmental restoration projects. Over the past several years, the City of Destin has established a successful and beneficial working relationship with the Choctawhatchee Basin Alliance (CBA), a non-profit organization committed to protecting and preserving the Bay.
Our current goal is to complete three phases of environmental restoration at Mattie Kelly Park and Joe's Bayou Shoreline. Phase I will include the removal of exotic / invasive plant species followed by the planting of native vegetation. The Phase II will involve the creation of an oyster bar near Joe's Bayou fishing pier, to provide diverse food sources and foraging areas for a variety of important fish and crustacean species. Phase III will add salt marsh plants to stabilize the shoreline of the Joe's Bayou.
Recently, the CBA helped the City of Destin obtain a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to start on Phase I. Today the park is overgrown with exotic and invasive species, such as the Popcorn tree, Mimosa tree, Chinaberry tree and Muscadine vine. The indigenous plants are threatened by the abundance of these invasive plants. As a result, the park is unattractive. However, The City of Destin, CBA, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and many other volunteers will help reduce the amount of invasive plants by physically removing them in upcoming months. We will need volunteers to help us with this project and if you would like to donate your time, please contact the Department of Engineering, 837-4242.
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